1. Field of the Invention
A resilient electrical terminal assembly includes a loop-shaped conductive spring having body, clamping leg and contact leg portions, and a bus bar extending at one end through a window opening contained in the spring clamping leg, the terminal portion of the clamping leg adjacent the window being bent to define a sharp edge that digs into the peripheral surface of a conductor inserted into the window, thereby to inhibit removal of the conductor from the window.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Spring terminals for connecting an electrical conductor to a load device are well known in the prior art, as evidenced, for example, by the Published German Application No. 39 11 459. As distinguished from the screw type of connector, these spring terminals offer the advantage of quick simple connection without the necessity of auxiliary manual tools. As is known in these spring terminals, the clamping leg of the spring terminal exerts a uniform pressure on the conductor, thereby resisting removal of the conductor from the terminal. Moreover, it is often required to provide a gas-proof connection between the spring and associated bus bar members and the conductor, something that is achieved not only by the spring forces that have to be provided, but also by the corresponding design in the area of contact with the conductor. In such spring terminals, the highest possible surface pressure is normally desired without undue damage to the conductor. With the advent of smaller spring terminals, the spring force of the spring cannot be increased disproportionately, so that the only alternative is to minimize the pressure surfaces in order to increase the surface pressure, while at the same time achieve the aforementioned gas-proof connection.
The present invention was developed to provide an improved spring terminal assembly in which the surface pressure between the compression spring and/or the bus bar and the conductor will be as great as possible, on the one hand, while maintaining the compression force of the spring unchanged, even in the case of the very smallest of terminals.